For the first time in franchise history, the Halifax Thunderbirds are hosting a playoff game.
“It’s wild. Can’t wait for it to kind of get going,” said Clarke Petterson, a forward drafted by the team in 2020.
“We’re still a couple days out, but excited. We still got practice to take care of first and get all our preparations done. But, I really, really can’t wait to get on the floor and get playing.”
The Thunderbirds will face off against the Calgary Roughnecks Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.
“There’s nothing like the energy that we get in the nest,” said John Catalano, president and CEO of the team.
“To finally be able to bring playoff lacrosse back to Halifax, it’s something that we’ve been striving to do since we started, and we’re so excited and can’t wait to get back on the floor Saturday night.”
Securing a home playoff game has been the goal this season for the Thunderbirds. The buy-in from the team has elevated the anti this year, and the fans are the reason for the buzz around the nest.
“It means everything. I mean, our fans are the heartbeat of this organization, and they’ve been with us through everything,” said Catalano.
“They always come out and show their support for us and we are so happy that we’re finally able to reward them with playoff lacrosse.”
The Thunderbirds have experienced the playoffs before and the atmosphere that comes with it. Catalano says the fans are in for a treat, including rally towels and other surprises.
“So as crazy as the nest has been, playoff lacrosse is another level. So, we’re so excited for this weekend,” he said.
As for the team, they know what is at stake, but say playing their game has to be top of mind.
“Just believing that whether we win or lose, we just got to stay true to who we are,” said Petterson.
“Stay true to sticking together and what we believe in and it kind of worked out for the best this year.”
Saturday’s game is a true east versus west matchup, as most Calgary Roughneck players live in western parts of Canada.
“It’s really cool just to show how prominent lacrosse is in Canada. All across the country,” said Petterson.
“Calgary is a very kind of western based team. So, I think it’s cool to kind of see that and see the highest level of lacrosse across Canada out here in Nova Scotia.”
It also promotes the growth of the game, coast to coast.
“Especially for Halifax. It shows the young players coming up in Halifax that big-time lacrosse is alive and it’s in their backyard,” said Catalano.
“And obviously being the East Coast, West Coast match up and the battle that it should be, especially being playoff lacrosse, is great for the sport. For everyone watching throughout the country.”
Plus, there’s more history on the line.
“It’s really cool to just be able to part of that, be part of that history and whether it’s individual success, your team’s success, this is kind of another step in that,” said Petterson.
“And, you know, now we want to get the first playoff win as well. So, we’re ready. We’re not done yet.”
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